Carolina March: Tar Heels At A Crossroads

Thanks to Dexter Strickland’s 18 points and four assists, ninth-ranked North Carolina downed Rutgers, 81-67 Monday night. The game was a lot closer than one would expect. If Roy Williams gets his way, this could be a major turning point for the Heels.

Unfortunately, there were still too many turnovers, stupid mistakes, and another large collapse that saw the lead go from 17 to 4 late. And in fact the Strickland three that helped put the game away was among the dumbest shots of the evening and would have been an unmitigated disaster had not fallen in. The good news is Roy Williams has almost certainly had enough, judging by his postgame comments and one timeout where he gesticulated so wildly he hurt his arm so badly he couldn’t instruct the team. The players interviewed after the game seemed incredibly chastened, and there are hopes that this could be a turning point in the season.

It had better be, because the flaws are beginning to show. Deon Thompson hasn’t had an impressive game since Gardner-Webb. John Henson had more turnovers than rebounds. As a team the free throw shooting is lousy, and the mistakes inexplicable. There are still thirteen days until conference play begins for the Heels, and only two games before that. If this team is going to buckle down and make a large improvement, now is the time.